October 2015 represented the 70th Annual Celebration of National Disability Employment Awareness Month! The purpose of the month is to raise awareness about the contribution of America’s workers with disabilities. While many people don’t consider the challenges faced by individuals with disabilities in the workplace, it is an ongoing concern that fellow colleagues, employers and the community at large need to be aware of. In September 2015, 19.1% of the labor force in the United States included people with disabilities. As more companies are aware of every employee’s profound capabilities and understand the importance of diverse hiring to the overall work environment, to the customer and to the work product by doing so, the work force will continue to evolve. While there continues to be more work to be done to make the work force more inclusive, as employers, colleagues and as a community, we need to “harness the talents and celebrate the distinct gifts of all our people” (President Obama).
For more from the Presidential Proclamation – National Disability Employment Awareness Month, 2015, click https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2015/10/01/presidential-proclamation-national-disability-employment-awareness-month
